By Malahni Banta

Since I can remember, I knew I was different from most individuals around me. For one, when people would walk up to me and introduce themselves first, I wondered, “What type of witchcraft is this? Speaking without being spoken to first? Insane!” I would carry on the conversation, of course, but I would use as few words as possible. This would lead people to believe I didn’t enjoy their company or the conversation, which wasn’t (always) true. Most of the time, I preferred listening to speaking. I would sit and observe the interactions and reactions of other people and would cringe whenever people pitied me for sitting by myself; solitude is my natural state. In school, I would not raise my hand to answer questions I very well knew the answers to. If there was any room for improvement and I needed a bit of assistance, I’d decide to figure it out on my own. Independence was something I was fine being left with.

My younger siblings, brother and sister, are both extroverted, and so I’ve always been around individuals who were opposite of me. My father has always been the life of the party, and my mother has been known to speak her mind when the time comes, though I’d say she too leans toward the introverted side of the spectrum.

Despite my introversion, I enjoyed speaking to a handful of kids in school, and, if I was so bold, even continued interacting with them once the final bell rang.

I guess you can say I’m very mellow. My voice is soft, and I dress however I feel like dressing. And I basically just go about life walking slowly and observing things. When I’m not writing, I’m watching a ton of movies, which is my second passion!

I’ve been writing as long as I can remember, delving into genres such as poetry, humor, satire, short story, and, my personal favorite, novels. I find it quite therapeutic, not to mention invigorating. I get to spend extended periods of time writing about nonexistent people, and not being considered crazy! I’m living the dream.

Some things to note about me:

I am a huge fan of sarcasm and dry humor.

I grew up in the town of Ossining, New York, where I’ve had my fair share of suburban high school experiences.

I’ve received over 25 awards for my writing.

In the eighth grade I joined the football team and spoke maybe three words the whole season.

My favorite color is red though I only say this because there’s always that annoying, politically correct person who says “that’s a shade” when I say “black.”

Bear with me, folks. My life isn’t always this amazing musical number I’m sure you’ve already assumed it to be. Despite my clear knack for being awesome, I put my pants on one leg at a time, like everyone else, and still shop at my local supermarket.

That being said, what’s a writer without a tragic backstory? I’ll tell you: boring.

When I was younger, in the seventh grade, to be exact, I experienced a significant amount of bullying from my peers, which inevitably took a toll on my mental health. During my time recovering from said effects, I decided that instead of sitting around and rotting from the inside out, I would begin indulging in literature, both the reading and the writing aspects. Now, five years later, I’m making great strides as both a person and a writer, and I use my past as well as my current experiences to educate others when it comes to the effects of bullying and depression, and inadvertently use my life as the basis for most of my writing.

I’m more than happy that I get to share my innermost thoughts (and complaints) here with those who are interested in hearing them. I hope you all are happy to hear them!

Share your thoughts.

Let’s keep our discussions reflective, productive, and welcoming.
Please follow our Community Guidelines and understand that we moderate comments and reserve the right to delete comments that don’t adhere to our guidelines.
You must sign in or sign up to comment.

Thanks Malahni for telling us about your passions and sufferings. Excellently written with both feeling and clarity. Sorry to hear that you had to endure the cruelty of others. It is deeply sad that some people subject other people to ridicule and everything else that makes up bullying. You have a gift for observing and articulating that in writing and we all are happy to read that you have found a way through the meaness heaped on you. Keep writing. Best wishes.

Bill Diehl

Malahni: As you no doubt have discovered, being an introvert in a huge huge plus for a writer. My wife is a NYT bestselling author and an engaging speaker (when called upon). Being in the public eye is exhausting for her. What she always desires the most is quiet and alone time to write.
You have a double gift — as an excellent writer and as an introvert. Best of success!!!!

Great Job Malahni !!! Keep up the excellent writing best wishes on everything I’m looking forward to continuing to see you prosper maybe you’ll be on The New York’s Best Sellers or have your own Column in a newspaper or magazine Im so Proud that you are being yourself and I Appreciate you using your writing not just as therapy for yourself but as hope and inspiration to people whom experience bullying and depression reading this made my day

Amy Colleen Humpherys Robertso

Enjoyed your article.

Fredericka Janel Kenton

This is so nice..
Congratulations sweetie. Keep up the good work..

Shereka Moses

Beautifully written!Keep up the good work n be an inspiration for other young girls.